A tiny hoglet, saved by the Keyford Hedgehog Rescue and Rehab group, spent five nights at the Rode Comedy Festival recently, with celebrity visitors including Phil Wang, Troy Hawke, Sara Pascoe and Russell Howard popping in to meet her.
Jennie Owen and Graham Gillions had booked tickets for all five nights of the popular local comedy festival. However, just before it began, they acquired a baby hedgehog, which needed to be fed every two hours, and were unable to leave her.
With an unusual request to ask if the tiny hoglet could rest in an incubator backstage, Jennie emailed the festival organisers, Jarred and Amelia Christmas, to see if this was possible.
Amelia said, “While this was the most unique request we’ve ever received, of course we had to say yes. The hoglet brought so much joy backstage and, honestly, she was as popular with the performers as the festival food trucks.”
The incubator was set up safely behind the scenes at the festival’s home, Pitch Perfect Camping, and between shows Jennie fed the hoglet her 3ml of hedgehog milk before heading straight back into the audience to enjoy the comedy. By the weekend, the hoglet had graduated to three-hour feeding intervals.
Keyford Hedgehog Rescue and Rehab is run by two residents who provide vital first aid to injured hedgehogs and operate a rehabilitation centre from their home in the Keyford area.
Jennie said, “She doubled her weight whilst the festival took place, so she wasn’t in distress and everyone went away with a better understanding of the issues hedgehogs face. She was only 13 days old when the festival started. By the end of it, her ears and eyes had opened and her front teeth were cut.”
The Rode Comedy Festival, which ran from 27th to 31st August, is now firmly established as a highlight in Somerset and once again brought laughter, food and community spirit to the village.
It was founded by comedians Jarred and Amelia Christmas, creating intimate and joyful comedy experiences for audiences and performers alike.
